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The right time to wean
Visit any parenting chat forum and you'll see debates raging about the right time
to wean a baby. In the past, it was the norm to start weaning from 4 months old,
but in 2003 the Department of Health issued guidelines (based on recommendations by
the World Health Organisation and UNICEF) that weaning should only start at 6 months.
For many mums with hungry, irritable babies, this just seems too late. But for
others, the thought of starting earlier is unthinkable.
This is what the Department of Health advises:
- Breastmilk is the best form of nutrition for infants.
- Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for the first six months (26 weeks)
of an infant's life.
- Six months is the recommended age for the introduction of solid foods for
infants.
- Breastfeeding (and/or breastmilk substitutes, if used) should continue beyond
the first six months, along with appropriate types and amounts of solid foods.
- All infants should be managed individually so that insufficient growth or
other adverse outcomes are not ignored and appropriate interventions are
provided.
Babies should NOT be given solids before 17 weeks of age. Their kidneys and guts are
not mature enough to cope with a more diverse diet and it can increase the risk of
infections and the development of allergies like eczema and asthma. But what about
after 4 months? And what if you don't exclusively breastfeed, does the 6 month rule
still apply?
Some studies suggest that waiting until 6 months gives a baby's digestive system more
time to mature. Some enzymes that break down foods don't reach adequate levels until
6 or 7 months of age. Babies are also born with what is a called 'open gut' -
this means the spaces between the cells of the small intestines will allow intact
macromolecules to pass directly into the blood stream. This allows the beneficial
antibodies of breastmilk to pass more directly into a baby's bloodstream. But it also
means that large proteins from other foods (which may lead to allergies) and
disease-causing pathogens can pass right through too. This open gut closes anywhere
between 4 and 6 months of age - but without looking inside your child's
intestines, you won't know when it's closed, so it's advised to wait. This applies to
breastfed and formula fed babies.
However, the Department of Health also says this:
"If an infant is showing signs of being ready to start solid foods before six months,
for example, sitting up, taking an interest in what the rest of the family is eating,
picking up, and tasting finger foods then they should be encouraged."
At Babylicious Ltd, we believe that it's best to try to wait until six months if you
can. Never start before 17 weeks. If your baby shows signs of readiness before six
months and there is no history of allergies in your family, start out slowly with
basic purees. Don't give any allergy inducing foods like fish, wheat, eggs and cows
milk.
Signs that might indicate that your child is ready:
- He seems hungry after a feed, but refuses more milk
- He wakes more often for night feeds
- The time between feeds gets shorter
- He sits up in a highchair and shows interest in what's going on at the table
- He grabs at the food on your plate
- He simulates chewing and makes appreciative noises as he watches others eating
Babylicious and Kiddylicious are an award-winning range of tasty, nutritious, frozen baby
and toddler meals. Unlike processed jars, they taste just like food mums make at home and
contain absolutely no added salt, sugar, preservatives or fillers. There's no more need to
peel, chop, cook, puree and freeze your own baby food, you can simply pop out the number of
Babylicious cubes your baby needs and heat them.
Babylicious and Kiddylicious can be found in the freezer sections at Tesco, Sainsbury's and
Budgens, the baby aisle at ASDA and online at Ocado and Babylicious. Sign up for the monthly
Babylicious newsletter - Food 4 Thought - for great tips on feeding your kids. Just
go to www.babylicious.co.uk and click on the newsletter link.
If you're about to start weaning your baby and want a delicious basic puree to start off on, try this:
Recipe: potato and parsnip with carrot
Makes 4 portions
Suitable for home freezing
Ingredients
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 large parsnip, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Fresh or dried thyme
Method
Peel and dice the vegetables. Place the vegetables and a small sprinkle of thyme in a steamer or cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Using a blender, puree until smooth, adding some of the reserved cooking water to loosen the mixture so that a soft consistency is achieved.
Alternatively you can buy this meal ready made from Babylicious, sold in a tray of individual easi-pop cubes.
Competition - win £30 of baby food
We're offering Baby Matters' readers the chance to win free baby food from Babylicious to the value of £30. Now you can get your little one eating great tasting, healthy food right from their first bite. Simply click here www.babylicious.co.uk/blooming and fill in the form.
send us your recipes:
If you've got a favourite recipe please let us know, and we'll share your
suggestions with other Baby Matters readers. Simply email your recipe to feedback@bloomingmarvellous.co.uk and you could be featured in our next ezine!
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